May 23, 2003
by Deborah McCanne

Scientists, philosophers, and theologians challenged assumptions and explored possibilities together at What Makes Us Human? Engaging Faith and Science, a conference jointly sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado and the University of Colorado, held May 15-16, 2003. The conference featured as keynote speakers the Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne and Dr. Norman Pace, who stimulated a wide-ranging conversation with panelists and participants.

Polkinghorne, a noted British physicist and theologian, described the soul in scientific language. After the fourteenth day of human embryonic development, the undifferentiated cells of the embryo begin to assume a specific pattern established by the divine creator for eternity, he explained, and this definition of "soul" opens the door for the use of embryos of less then 14 days in stem cell research.

Polkinghorne spoke on Thursday evening about the place of humans in evolution as a "stunningly novel" development. He delineated several attributes which make humans uniquely different from any other species: a sense of the future, moral beings, language, exploration of mathematical truths, creativity, culture, god consciousness, distortion of perception, and altruism.

On Friday, Pace spoke from the scientific perspective stressing the dangers of human overpopulation of the earth and arguing that humans had a responsibility to solve the problems of ecology and overpopulation. He put humans in their place in the process of evolution - not a ladder, but a great spreading tree overwhelmingly composed of microbial life. Humans are on a "twig" at the end of the one branch containing all of animal life, Pace said. He argued that humans are "nothing special" and that all organisms are unique.

A panel of theologians and philosophers then explored the question of what is unique about human beings, what it means to be "created in the image of God," and whether morality is universal or cultural.

More than biology

Lively discussion ranged from the esoteric (the nature of a soul) to the practical (genetic testing), and from scientific possibility (such as cloning) to compassion (care at the end of life). Most of the discussion centered around how to make ethical and moral decisions about the uses of scientific advances, and whether scientific discoveries are changing how we think about God and the place of humanity in the universe.

The scientists and the theologians clearly came from different perspectives. While the concept that a human is "more than biology" recurred in both the scientific and theological presentations, the scientists tended to talk about the effect environment and experiences have on people, while the theologians tended to think in terms of the eternal pattern of unique individuality and the mystery of the soul.

However, as Dr. Cynthia Cohen observed during the response to Polkinghorne, the "benighted myth" of conflict did not appear. Theology asks, "Why?" or "What does it mean?" Science asks, "How?" and "What?"

Halfway through the second day of the conference, Pace presented a model where science and religion both overlapped a circle labeled spirituality. Physician David Manchester commented that in clinical practice, he had noticed that the more patients understood the possibilities and limits of science and the moral choices they faced, the more they moved to a middle ground of thoughtful decision making rather than an automatic adoption of a preconceived view.

Beginning a dialogue

In convening the groundbreaking conference to explore relationships between religion and science, Colorado bishop William J. "Jerry" Winterrowd said he hoped to raise fundamental questions and begin a dialogue.

Winterrowd said that society must avoid either the automatic rejection of new scientific thought based on an outdated religious perspective and morality or the thoughtless acceptance of the possibilities of science regardless of the consequences. At the end of the day, the panelists called for more opportunities for open discussions with the goal of encouraging questions and thoughtful response, not implementing an immediate political solution.

Pace, professor of molecular, cellular and developments biology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, is a 2001 MacArthur Fellow. His research continues to identify biochemical and genetic threads that link all organisms. A graduate of Indiana University, he received his doctorate from the University of Illinois.

The panel of theologians responding to Pace's presentation on Friday morning was moderated by the Rev. William Pounds, adjunct professor at Denver's Iliff School of Theology. The panelists were Dr. Ira Churnus, professor of religious studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder; Dr. Robert Pasnau, professor of philosophy, University of Colorado-Boulder; and the Rev. Julie Swaney, chaplain at University Hospital in Denver.

Polkinghorne, who is canon theologian at Liverpool Cathedral in England, is the recipient of the 2002 Templeton Prize for Religion and Science, a Knight of the British Empire and Fellow of the Royal Society. He earned his doctorate in quantum field theory at Cambridge. He is the author of several books including The God of Hope and the End of the World and Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction.

The panel of scientists responding to Polkinghorne's presentation on Friday afternoon was moderated by Dr. Cynthia B. Cohen of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University. The panelists were Dr. Gregory Carey, professor of psychology, University of Colorado-Boulder; Dr. Leslie Leinward, department chair and professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, University of Colorado-Boulder; and Dr. David Manchester, pediatrician and geneticist at Children's Hospital, Denver.

Episcopal News Service
Deborah McCanne is editor of the Colorado Episcopalian.